


The Linchpin

by wizardofahz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 10:17:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11355405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wizardofahz/pseuds/wizardofahz
Summary: According to Lillian Luthor, it’s very simple: her freedom for Alex’s life. For Alex and Kara, it’s all kinds of complicated.Or, the one that builds to the Danvers sisters actually having a talk.





	The Linchpin

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this after 2.08 aired, so that’s when this is set. Conceptually, it’s got similar themes to the “Alex” episode, but in my defense I had this all outlined well before that episode aired, so it’s all coincidence.
> 
> Content warnings for mentions of abandonment issues and suicidal ideation

 

Talking to Lillian Luthor is like talking to a brick wall, a very  _ smug _ brick wall.

Maggie has been trying to interrogate her for the better part of an hour, but she’s gotten nothing but silence in return. Luthor watches her with indifference like she’s a terrible television program whose only merit is that it’s marginally better than everything else on. 

Maggie hides her frustration and continues on reviewing the charges and the evidence backing them.

“Tell me,” Luthor says suddenly, interrupting Maggie mid-sentence. “How well do you know your girlfriend?”

The term “girlfriend” makes Maggie pause. She and Alex got together after Luthor’s arrest, and even then, they haven’t told anyone besides Kara. Maggie supposes Cadmus could have bugged Alex’s apartment (unlikely knowing Alex), or perhaps they were tailed on their night out on the town (slightly more plausible but still unlikely). She keeps all those possibilities in mind but decides the best way to keep her calm at present is to assume Luthor’s phrasing is merely a lucky guess. 

“Excuse me?”

Luthor leans forward, eyes gleaming dangerously, and Maggie has to fight the instinct to back away. “You have no idea, do you, the lengths people would go to keep her safe.”

Maggie stares, her turn to be the brick wall.

“Everyone is relevant to someone,” Luthor continues. “But the right person… Finding the right person is key. If you remove the linchpin, everyone implodes. Everyone who matters anyway. They will do anything in their power to make sure  _ she  _ doesn’t fall out of place.”

Something about the way Luthor smiles and her pointed use of that last pronoun makes Maggie’s hair stand on end. 

“All hypothetically speaking of course,” Luthor adds lightly, leaning back in her chair.

It does nothing to ease the heightened tension in the room. Not that Luthor intended it to, Maggie’s sure. 

Maggie stands her ground—or sits her ground, rather—and continues talking to Luthor. She knows better than to take lightly such pointed words from a woman like Luthor, but she refuses to let Luthor know how shaken she is. For a moment, Maggie doubts her decision. If there’s a genuine threat to Alex’s life, she should be warned as soon as possible. But Danvers is a badass, Maggie reassures herself. Surely a few minutes won’t hurt. 

It’s a futile endeavor as Luthor returns to her detached, silent state.

After some arbitrarily acceptable amount of time has passed—probably a shorter duration in reality than it feels—Maggie rises and leaves the room. She keeps her movements calm and steady, but once she’s out of Luthor’s sight, she sprints through the bullpen, dialing Alex as quickly as her shaking fingers will allow.

 

* * *

 

“No.”

Kara pouts. “Alex, please.” 

She looks absolutely pitiful, but Alex has years of practice steeling herself against such effective techniques. She isn’t completely poutproof—Alex doubts that’s even possible—but occasionally she can hold her own.

Especially when she’s feeling equally stubborn.

“No amount of pouting is going to change my mind.”

Kara turns her pout on J’onn, asking for backup. 

“Alex,” J’onn says in that measured tone of his. “Better safe than sorry.”

“Lillian’s posturing,” Alex responds emphatically.

She gets that Kara and J’onn are worried, but as far as she’s concerned their protective instincts have gone into overdrive.

“‘ _ My alien sister is not leaving here until we figure out how Cadmus was able to target only aliens’, _ ” Kara says in poor mimicry of Alex’s voice. “Well guess what? My big sister is not going out there until we figure out what Lillian has planned and how to stop it.”

A cough at the door draws their attention to Maggie, who has arrived undetected in the midst of their discussion. Alex wonders how Maggie got to the DEO so fast, but a glance at her watch shows half an hour has passed since Maggie’s call.

Kara’s eyes widen comically, and Alex nearly facepalms at the way she sputters, “I—I mean, someone who looks after me like a big sister—”

“It’s okay,” Maggie says, relieving Kara of the burden of lying convincingly. “I kinda guessed it already. The glasses didn’t really do much to cover up the passive-aggressive Supergirl glare I got every time Kara Danvers thought I wasn’t looking.”

“I only glared a little,” Kara protests softly with the slight undercurrent of an apology as J’onn shoots her an exasperated look.

Alex presses a quick kiss to her temple. “It was very sweet of you.” 

She shoots an apologetic glance Maggie’s way, but any remaining guilt disappears when Maggie says, “Well I promise what I’m going to say next isn’t just to get on Supergirl’s good side. I agree with her. You should stay at the DEO until we figure out what’s going on.” 

A look of betrayal flashes across Alex’s face before she refutes the idea. “Cadmus has had moles in the DEO before. Staying here isn’t a solution.”

“Fine,” J’onn says.

It’s Kara’s turn to look aghast, but Alex knows better. She doesn’t like where this is going, or rather where she’ll be going. “No!”

But J’onn says it anyway, “A safe house it is. We’ll upgrade the security system and set you up with a select protective detail around the clock.”

“I’m going to go stir crazy,” Alex protests. “You know I will.”

“You can take paperwork with you,” J’onn says with such a (paternal) air of finality that Alex concedes defeat.

Which is how she ends up spending the next few days stuck in a stuffy apartment.

Living under house arrest is as dreadful as Alex anticipates it will be. There are only so many mission reports she can read and write before she gets antsy and has to work out. Catching up on the latest science and engineering articles isn’t much better. There’s only so much she can do by logging into the DEO servers remotely, and it’s not nearly enough to scratch the itch of wanting to try out new things in the lab. 

It doesn’t help that there’s always somewhere there watching her. Sometimes it’s Maggie, J’onn, and Kara, and sometimes it’s another DEO agent. Maggie, J’onn, and Kara try to make it up to her in various ways. Even Winn stops by once with an unnecessarily large number of video game consoles. Maggie brings food, either groceries to cook or take out, for romantic nights in. J’onn brings more exciting work in the form of intel briefings and mission planning sessions. Kara comes over for tv show marathons, hugs, and whatever else fits Alex’s fancy.

Alex takes the uneventful days as a sign that she was right: Lillian was posturing.

The fifth day gives her an opportunity to sneak out. Kara, who is over for lunch, gets a call from Snapper about a time-sensitive article opportunity and takes off reluctantly at Alex’s insistence. Alex takes a deep breath as soon as Kara’s gone and mentally flips through her exit strategies. 

When the coast is clear, Alex takes a step out of the apartment and lets the door close behind her.

But then there’s a blur. It’s not of blue, red, and yellow. No, this blur is green, black, and red. She barely has time to recognize the color scheme before they’re phasing through her door, and she finds herself back in the apartment. 

“Oh come on!” Alex gripes, pulling out of J’onn arms.

“Kara called me saying she had to leave. What were you doing?” he asks sternly as soon as he shifts back into his Hank Henshaw form. 

“I was going to go around the corner to the bakery,” Alex says before justifying her actions, “It’s been five days, J’onn, and nothing has happened! I’m going stir crazy in here. I told you I would.”

“Alex,” J’onn says, crossing his arms. “If you were targeting someone, they knew it, and you were inactive for five days, what would that mean?”

“I was waiting for them to get complacent and lower their guard, but—”

“No buts,” J’onn responds firmly.

“But I’m being careful,” Alex insists, taking out the guns from her waistband and ankle holster, knife from her sleeve lining, and taser from her pocket. “See?”

J’onn places his hands on her shoulders and says gently, “Alex, it’s not you I doubt. We don’t know what Cadmus is planning, and I don’t want to risk you, so I need you to stay put. Can you do that for Kara and me?”

Alex grumbles but concedes.

Two days later, Jeremiah is spotted.

“It’s probably a trap,” J’onn says. 

He’s standing in front of the couch where Alex and Kara are sitting together.

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go after him,” Alex says vehemently, part of her afraid J’onn’s concern will mean losing this rare opportunity to get her father back after so long.

“Of course we will,” Kara says, putting an arm around Alex’s shoulders and pulling her close. “Right, J’onn?”

“Yes, we will,” J’onn says, “but you’re staying here, Alex. Supergirl and I will take care of this.”

“But—”

“Stay.” 

J’onn leaves no room for argument. He goes to the door and ushers in a group of DEO agents, Winn among them. 

“Hey, Alex,” Winn greets her as he goes about helping the others set up a mini-command station in the apartment. “Time to give you some additional eyes and ears.”

 

* * *

 

“Do you see him?”

“Yeah,” Kara answers evenly, trying not to let Alex’s anxiety spread through her earpiece and into her nerves. She’s keeping her distance for the moment, observing the situation. “There’s something weird about his hand though. And maybe his head?”

“I can’t read him,” J’onn confirms. 

Kara hears Alex inhale sharply.

“His heart beat sounds the same,” she says, hoping it will provide Alex with some comfort.

Alex doesn’t respond.

Jeremiah is sitting on a bench along the waterfront, and Kara gets a vague sense of deja vu, remembers walking along the path with Alex and sitting on a similar bench as her big sister tried to find the words and courage to come out. Like father, like daughter.

After J’onn agrees there’s not much more they can glean from reconnaissance, Kara flies in and lands in front of him. “Jeremiah?”

“It’s a trap!” Jeremiah says frantically. Those words don’t do much to Kara—they’d figured as much—but the next one shoots fear straight through her heart. “Alex—”

He’s cut off as Cyborg Superman suddenly appears.

“Damn it, Danvers,” he growls as he grabs Jeremiah roughly, clamping a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

Kara freezes. She wants to help Jeremiah, who is struggling violently against Cyborg Superman’s hold, but chaos erupts in her earpiece: a door shattering, gunshots, Alex yelling for Winn to take cover.

“Get Alex!” Jeremiah yells in a brief moment of freedom before Cyborg Superman is on him once again.

_ If I leave you here, Alex will never forgive me.  _

_ Kara, if you die here, there will be no one to forgive. _

But this time, Alex is the one that could die. That makes the decision almost easy.

Kara is in the air in less than a second and is relieved to see J’onn ahead of her, also en route to the safe house. A quick x-ray scan shows one dead DEO agent, one badly injured, and Alex as one of the remaining three fighting an ensemble of enhanced Cadmus misfits. Alex is taking on a few of them in front of the locked bathroom where Winn is. 

Kara smashes through the sound barrier as she beats J’onn to the safe house. She lets her rage, adrenaline, and fear take over, and between her and J’onn, it’s not long before the Cadmus agents are subdued.

In that time, Alex has moved to the side of Hannah Riemann, the agent who is badly injured. Kara uses her x-ray vision to scan her, revealing that a broken rib had punctured her left lung, but Alex seems to already know that. She’s doing whatever she can to field treat the injury, but one arm is hanging by her side. Another x-ray scan shows Alex’s right shoulder is dislocated. Thankfully the heavily bleeding wound on Alex’s forehead near her left temple is superficial. 

Kara helps however she can until reinforcements and medical personnel arrive and joins Alex in a van back to the DEO. 

“I’m fine,” Alex reassures her with a smile as a medic cleans the wound on her forehead. Then she asks, “What happened with Dad?”

Kara fidgets with the thumbholes on her sleeves. “Cyborg Superman showed up, but I came here instead.”

Alex sighs. “I thought I heard him over the comms.” 

“I’m sorry,” Kara says. “I know how much you want Jeremiah back.”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Alex reaches out her good arm to hug Kara. The medic glares at her for disrupting his work, but Alex ignores him. “You had a hard choice to make. We’ll get Dad back another time.”

Despite Alex’s words, Kara can hear the disappointment in her voice. When the medic is done, she wraps her arms around Alex, squeezing gently and carefully avoiding her bruises and dislocated shoulder.

That night Supergirl goes to see Lillian Luthor.

It’s an off the record meeting because Kara figures that’s the only way Lillian will talk freely. Winn loops the footage of the relevant security cameras in the prison and transfers the live feeds to the screens at the DEO. He’s also prepared to take care of any other technological barriers, but people are a different matter. They can be unpredictable, and the DEO’s tech is advanced but not perfect. The problem is solved by Maggie, who volunteers to be on standby and distract the guards if necessary. 

Lillian doesn’t seem at all surprised by the visit. She smiles and doesn’t bother to get up from the cot where she’s lying down. “Supergirl, how nice of you to visit.”

On the other side of the gridiron door, Kara crosses her arms. “The surveillance cameras are being looped, so we can speak freely. Stop this.”

Lillian plays coy. “Stop what?” 

“I’m not in the mood for games,” Kara snaps. “Leave Alex alone.”

“Tell me who Alex is to you.”

The request throws Kara for a loop. Lillian already knows who Alex is to her. “What?”

Lillian scoffs. “Do you really expect me to just take your word that the cameras are being looped, and this isn’t some ruse to get a confession out of me? I need you to say something you would never admit to just anyone. Come on,” she taunts. “I’m making this easy for you. You know I already know the answer.”

After a moment of reluctance, Kara answers, “She’s my sister.”

Lillian hums, and in one smooth move, she’s up off the cot and stalking toward the door. Her voice is cold and calculating as she says, “Just one person, and it would be so easy to control you, the DEO through J’onn J’onzz, the NCPD through Maggie Sawyer, Jeremiah at Cadmus. So many people willing to do so much to save one person.” She pauses. Then her voice lightens, taking on an almost whimsical tone. “Hypothetically speaking of course. After all, what would I be able to do from this dark, lonely, little cell of mine.” 

Kara’s jaw clenches, and she has to force her words out. “What do you want?”

Lillian smiles. “Have me released or break me out, and I can put an end to this.”

“And let you try to finish what you started with Medusa?” Kara asks, incredulous.

“That’s not the part we’re discussing,” Lillian says almost flippantly as if genocide is a casual matter. “It’s simple, Supergirl. Release me, and Alex lives. If you don’t, well, let’s just say that what happened this afternoon was nothing more than a demonstration of reach. It will never matter how much time you have to prepare, where you try to hide her, or how many safeguards you put in place; we can always get to her, and next time there will be no chance to fight back.”

Kara stares, overwhelmed by the choices before her and trying to formulate a response. 

Lillian bares her teeth in a predatory grin then turns back to her cot. 

“You have twenty-four hours.”

Kara speeds out of the prison but takes her time heading back to the DEO. She flies around to clear her head and think over her options. She knows what’s going to happen when she gets back. Alex is going to dive right into the issue, and Kara needs a moment to organize her thoughts.  

As she nears the DEO, she spots Alex standing on the balcony, and sure enough the moment she lands, Alex says, “You can’t do it.” 

Alex says her words with such certainty, but Kara is far from convinced. “Well I can’t lose you, so I’m not sure about that.”

“I’m not worth everything that’s at stake.” Alex moves to cross her arms but winces with the movement of her sore shoulder. She settles by curling her left hand around her right tricep.

“What’s at stake,” Kara says rhetorically. “Let’s say Lillian Luthor stays in prison. I don’t believe that she won’t find some other way to break out or that Cadmus can’t function without her.” 

“Forget Cadmus for a second,” Alex says, “because this isn’t about them and it’s not about me. It’s about you. If you let her go, you show that Supergirl can be manipulated, and that  _ cannot  _ happen. Supergirl is bigger than me.”

Kara’s crinkle deepens. As far as she’s concerned, nothing on Earth is bigger than Alex.

Alex sighs before continuing, “Remember when you saved the plane I was on? That plane was sabotaged because I was on it, because I’m DEO, because in my line of work, doing my job well means pissing off bad guys, and, yeah, that means getting killed can be part of the equation. If Cadmus doesn’t kill me tomorrow because you let Lillian go, that’s not going to stop them or anyone else from killing me some other time, but if you cave, you will  _ always  _ be vulnerable to further manipulation, and if that gets out to the public, you will show everyone out there that trusts you that they cannot always depend on you to keep their best interests at heart.”

Kara gets all this. The world isn’t fair. She’s thrown herself in the line of fire, taken hits to protect the vulnerable, and was ready to sacrifice herself to save humanity from Myriad. This time though she’d like to be selfish. She wants to save Alex, who, as far as Kara is concerned, is practically a piece of herself.

“I don’t know what life on Earth is like without you,” Kara says. “I can’t—It’s not worth—”

Alex’s face softens. “Kara, the only reason we are in each other’s lives is because you suffered a great loss. You lost your family, your people, your whole world,” she says gently as if Kara doesn’t already know all this. “But loss doesn’t mean the end. You know that. And this will be nothing compared to that. This time you’ll still have your home and your family: J’onn, Mom, Winn, Lucy, James, Lena.”

Kara shakes her head. “You’re my home. You’re my family.”

Kara lived on Krypton for thirteen years. Her thirteenth Earth birthday is approaching, the turning point after which she will have spent more time on Earth than she did on Krypton. Nearly thirteen years with Alex, Alex who helped Kara build a new home on this planet. Nearly thirteen years and Alex is talking about dying. It seems Kara can’t go more than thirteen years without losing her home and her heart.

No wonder so many on this planet consider thirteen an unlucky number.

“Kara,” Alex says, but Kara knows there’s no satisfactory end to the incoming sentence.

“No, just stop!” she snaps, but it’s not in anger. Panic is starting envelop her like a rising tide. Every thought she organized and every potential response she rehearsed have vanished from her mind. 

“Kara.” Alex’s tone has shifted from gentle to worried.

Alex takes a step forward, but Kara backs away.

“I can’t do this,” Kara breathes and shoots up into the sky.

 

* * *

 

“You should be resting,” J’onn says as he enters the training room.

“I pissed off Kara,” Alex says, not missing a beat as she continues to whale on the dummy in front of her. She’s only using her left arm, but each hit sends aftershocks through her right shoulder.  She ignores the pain. If anything, she deserves it.

“I’m guessing you traumatized her more than anything.”

That does make Alex pause.

“That’s worse.” She takes a deep breath and accepts the open water bottle that J’onn is holding out. After taking a swig, she says, “I didn’t mean to. I just needed her to understand—”

“That she should let you die?” J’onn finishes for her. “To be honest, I’m finding it hard to accept as well."

Alex’s shoulders slump. She looks at J’onn, her mentor and surrogate father figure, and asks, “What do you think Kara should do then?”

“I don’t know,” J’onn says sympathetically. “I don’t think there’s an easy answer. I wish there was.”

“Luthor didn’t deny that she’s going to keep working on Medusa if she gets out,” Alex says, voicing one of the many thoughts weighing her down. “How am I supposed to let Kara break her out to save me when I know that means impending genocide for you and other aliens? I know how long it’s taken for you to feel at home on this planet. I know what a sanctuary M’gann’s bar has become for alien refugees. I can’t be responsible for taking that away.” 

“You won’t be,” J’onn reassures her. “If, and that’s a big if, anything happens, it will be on Lillian Luthor’s head, not yours.” 

If their positions were reversed, Alex knows she’d say the same thing, but what she understands logically doesn’t necessarily translate to how she feels. Resigned, Alex says, “You know, in the end, best case scenario I die before you and Kara anyway.”

“Alex,” J’onn sighs.

“No, I mean, think about it,” Alex insists. “Okay, so let’s say none of us die on the job. We live on until we’re old and gray, but here’s the thing: I’m going to get old and gray way before either of you two. I mean, you’re already centuries old, and look at Clark. Kara’s not going to be aging anytime soon.” 

J’onn looks unsettled by the thought.

“That all may be true,” he concedes, “but give her the several decades she deserves to get used to the idea of losing you.” He pauses before admitting, “I know I would appreciate them.”

Alex steps forward to hug him and revels in the warmth and comfort from his reciprocated hug.

“Can I go see Kara?” she asks into his chest. Theoretically she’s safe until Kara doesn’t free Lillian, but Alex knows J’onn prefers she stay at the DEO.

J’onn nods. “I’ll take you.”

Kara’s tracker indicates that she’s at home, so J’onn drops her off there.

Alex knocks on the door. When there’s no response, she says, “Kara, I know you can hear me.” She doesn’t yell or knock very loudly as it’s late, and she doesn’t want to disturb Kara’s neighbors. It shouldn’t matter anyway with Kara’s super hearing. After a moment of inactivity, Alex knocks again. “Kara, please. I’ll stay here all night if I have to.”

When Kara finally opens the door, Alex panics.

Kara’s hands and the towel she’s holding are covered in some sort of red fluid, and it takes Alex a moment to realize it’s not blood. It’s paint. Looking into the apartment, she catches sight of the canvas and recognizes Krypton, Kara’s go-to safe haven when she’s feeling unsettled and alone.

“I’m going to clean up,” Kara says in a quiet, detached voice before heading to the bathroom.

Alex stares at the painting while she waits, internally berating herself. She had handled their conversation on the DEO balcony very badly. This painting of Krypton is evidence of that. Of course Kara had been overwhelmed by her conversation with Lillian Luthor, and Alex had ignored all of that, bulldozing over Kara’s insecurities with talk of what was right. As the big sister, she’s supposed to be there for Kara, and instead she’d pushed her into feeling alone.

When Kara returns, she sits on the couch with Alex but stays at the opposite end and won’t meet Alex’s eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Alex says. “I didn’t mean to push you away. I was overwhelmed too. It helps me to rationalize and ignore my feelings, and I took it too far and ignored your feelings. I know it doesn’t work the same for you, and I know it doesn’t make it right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kara says, still looking down and fiddling with her sleeves. 

Alex recognizes the nervous tic. Kara got it from her after all. Alex waits for Kara to continue. She figures she’s done enough talking.

“I didn’t do a good job of expressing how I feel,” Kara continues after a brief silence. “I panicked and flew away. I guess that’s not much better.”

“How about you tell me how you feel now?” Alex asks.

Kara grabs a pillow and pulls it into her lap. 

“I’ve never known life on Earth without you, but then again when I was thirteen, I’d never known life without Krypton, my parents, and Aunt Astra. When my parents put me in that pod, they knew they were going to die, and they just let it happen and told me to live. And then you were telling me the same thing: leave you to die and live on without you.” Kara squeezes the pillow to her stomach. “I’ve been abandoned before. Part of me feels like I’m being abandoned again, like you don’t think I’m worth fighting to stay for, to live for.”

“I’m sorry,” Alex says softly, heart shattering with Kara’s confession. “I never meant to make you feel that. And I kind of get it.” 

Kara looks at her in surprise. 

Alex gives her a wan smile. “You and J’onn are two of the most important people in my life, but you lost your world, and J’onn is the last of his kind. Both of you can get so caught up in the idea of rejoining your people that you’re constantly ready to sacrifice yourselves.”

When Kara tries to apologize, Alex shakes her head. “I didn’t tell you that to make you feel bad. I told you that to say I’m really, really sorry because I understand how I made you feel, and I never wanted to be the reason you felt that way. And this thing with Luthor, I never meant I’m going to lie down and take whatever’s coming. I’ll fight tooth and nail, but if I die anyway, then that’s also an outcome I’m prepared to accept because it means you did the right thing.”

“Because heroes are always supposed do the right thing,” Kara says with an undercurrent of bitterness.

“Not everyone can be a hero,” Alex says. “You’re pretty special.”

“But I’m not,” Kara protests. “I think the Red Kryptonite proved that well enough.” This time Kara is the one cutting off Alex with a head shake as she continues, “You can say it wasn’t all me, but it was part of me. Maybe it would’ve been more of me if I never had you. All the love and light I have to give is because I received an infinite amount of it from you. You’re my hero.”

“I—” Alex starts awkwardly. It’s been a long time since she knew how to believe or even handle a compliment. Then something dawns on her, and she changes the subject. “Come here.”

She extends her left arm, and Kara scoots over and leans into her.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” Kara asks.

“I’ve got a plan. Trust me.”

Alex spends the night with Kara and, though she’s asked many times, she doesn’t reveal her plan. She doesn’t think Kara would approve.

When morning comes, she goes to see Lillian Luthor.

“Come to break me out of here already, Supergirl?” Lillian drawls at the sound of approaching footsteps. She makes her way to the door. “And here I was expecting you to take the full twenty-four hours.”

Alex steps out of the shadows. “Wrong sister.”

It’s a tad dramatic, but she allows herself a moment of indulgence.

Lillian eyes the butterfly bandages on her forehead and the stiff way she’s holding her right arm to her body. “Agent Danvers, what a pleasant surprise.”

“I’m going to make it unpleasant for you in a minute,” Alex promises as she walks forward.

“I doubt it.” Lillian smiles like she thinks it’s cute Alex thinks she can rattle her.

“You wanna bet?” Alex challenges. “It’s foolish of you to threaten someone’s loved one when you have one of your own.”

“Lex is already locked up. What more could you do to him?”

Alex glares up at Lillian, internally cursing the fact that she’s half a foot shorter.

“You’re under the assumption that you and I have different ethical codes, that I wouldn’t harm or kill a—let’s call him a relatively defenseless man in prison. Normally you’d be right. I was ready to die to keep you in prison and to keep Supergirl’s integrity intact, but, see, that doesn’t work for Kara. And I would do anything for Kara.”

“How cute,” Lillian responds sarcastically.

“You’ve heard of the League of Assassins, right?”

“Nice try, Alex. I know they disbanded.”

“Disbanded doesn’t mean disappeared into the void. One of them is a good friend of mine, and she was pretty high up the hierarchy. Some loyalties run deep. If she calls, they’ll gather. It will never matter how much time you have to prepare, how many strings you pull, or how many safeguards you put in place; they can always get to him. If I die, he dies.”

Alex takes a moment to enjoy throwing Lillian’s words back in her face and the flicker of fear that they elicit.

This is the part that Alex doesn’t think Kara would approve of: organizing someone’s assassination, even if the man in question is her cousin’s archnemesis. It’s not something a hero would do, but Alex has long accepted that she would do whatever it takes to protect her family, that she would get her hands dirty so that her loved ones would never have to.

“You’re bluffing,” Lillian says, doing a good job of regaining her composure.

“I’m not,” Alex responds easily. She really isn’t. She’s already contacted Nyssa. “You better contact your people quickly because otherwise my mom and dad won’t be the only parents outliving their child this evening.”

Alex smirks at Lillian’s silence and makes her exit.

“Nice talking with you, Lillian.”


End file.
